Excerpt:
Then everything froze. Joni, the customers, the cars outside. All movement simply stopped. The chime on the front door sounded. My throat went dry. Somehow, I knew what was happening. I knew who had arrived, though I didn’t understand how or why.
Twisting around, I peered over the rim of the booth. Standing in the doorway was the man from my hallucinations, a creature of the dark plains. Tall and slim, broad-shouldered, dark in aspect. That same man had beheaded a snake in my kitchen. Not my kitchen, I reminded myself. The illusion of my kitchen, part of the same hallucination of an impossible world. The Hunting Grounds, he’d called it. Where we go to hunt souls.
My mind spun with the impossibility of what I was seeing. He couldn’t be real. Yet here he was, in Joni’s shop. Except, he looked different. His hair was peppered gray instead of black. His skin seemed a shade darker. Or maybe lighter? It was like wrapping my head around a mirage, trying to remember what he looked like in my nightmares. But the simple force of his presence, the quiet luminescence of his spirit, was unmistakable. That was him.
Without so much as a glance in my direction, the man stepped into the shop and started toward the counter. Everything stirred at once. Several people looked his way. Joni let go a long, low whistle.
“Well, I’ll be!” she exclaimed. "We haven’t had anyone that drop-dead gorgeous walk in here since…Well, ever!”
She kept staring, mouth agape, as he ordered coffee. Then her face lit up, and she jumped into action, wiping down the table next to me.
“I’ve got an idea,” she said. “I think you should go for him.”
“What?” I croaked.
“He’s totally your style.”
“I don’t date men in suits.”
“What are you talking about?” She laughed. “Look at him! It’s fate. I can feel it.”
“Joni –”
“Sir!” She called. “Sir, we’ve got an empty table right over here. Next to the windows.”
Holy crap! I sank deeper into my seat. “I’m serious, Joni! Send him somewhere else.”
“Straighten up, beautiful.” She patted me on the shoulder. “Give it a shot. What’ve you got to lose?”
Then she was gone. I cast about frantically for an escape, but there was no back exit from the booth. Unless I wanted to crash through the window. Could I do that? Crash through the window?
Yeah, I could do that. But I’d have to leave my insects behind, and –
And there he was, taking the table next to me. His chair scraped against the floor. His clothes rustled as he settled in. Minutes passed while my heart pounded inside my chest. I kept my face turned, pretended to stare out the window, wondered whether it would hurt to feel the glass shatter against my skin.
Idle talk filled the coffee shop. Customers came and went, orders were taken, steam forced through frothing milk.
Still the man said nothing.
I snuck a glance in his direction. Damn, he was handsome. Heart stoppingly so. Desire tugged at my gut, a strangely familiar sense of attraction, as if we’d known each other before this moment. As if I’d been bound to him in a time before memory.
The Book Junkie Reads . . . Interview with . . . K.R. Gastreich . . .
How would you describe your style of writing to someone that has never read your work?
I think Kirkus Reviews nailed it when they called my writing “darkly lyrical.” I do not shy away from the dark side, but I also love to find poetry and romance in everything. I believe this shows in my writing.
Do you feel that writing is an ingrained process or just something that flows naturally for you?
Both! Writing comes naturally and takes work! Anyone who has followed my novels will see that my style has changed a lot since my first book, Eolyn, to my most recent release, Soul Masters. Part of this change is due to the difference in genres. But also, I have worked hard to improve my craft. I’m inspired to write, but I approach writing in a disciplined fashion.
Have you found yourself bonding with any particular character(s)? If so which one(s)?
I love all the characters in Soul Masters. One of my favorites is Anne. She is sexy, smart, and indomitable. She has a dry sense of humor, and she dresses perfectly for every occasion. Anne is also dead. She lived in her human form many centuries ago, and now thrives as a soul in the liminal realms.
Can you share your next creative project(s)? If yes, can you give a few details?
Well, I’m working on a sequel to Soul Masters. I’m very excited about this series and the potential it has to generate tons of stories.
I am also designing an oracle deck in collaboration with DGS Games. The deck is based on the cosmology of a fantasy world called Faelon. It’s been a lot of fun to write, and the artist I’m collaborating with is amazing. I can’t wait to launch the deck later this year.
What are some of your writing/publishing goals for this year?
Get Soul Masters into the hands of readers who love adventure, romance, and stories on the dark side!
Where would you spend one full year, if you could go ANYWhere, money is not a concern? What would you do with this time?
I’d love to spend a year in northern Italy. I would write and take short trips to France, southern Italy, Germany, and Spain.
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